Renewal
by smilelikey0umeanit
Summary: It's Brian and Esther's fortieth wedding anniversary, so Gerry comes up with an idea to make it an extra special day.


_**A/N: This is intended as a sequel to Sweet Talk but can be read as a standalone story. It's basically just pure team banter and fluff so if you're looking for something more angsty/case-related, see my other stories. If you're still reading this, fluff fans…enjoy! **_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own New Tricks.**_

Renewal

The oldest member of the UCOS family was still awake at two o clock that night, following dinner at the Lane's, staring at the white ceiling above him. He was peacefully morose, imagining that his wife was laid beside him, sound asleep, desperately fighting off the knowledge that she hadn't been for fifteen years now, and would never be again. He'd received his closure, of course, by catching Hanson, but that hadn't provided him with catharsis. Just once in a while, he liked to dream, especially at times like this, when the wedded happiness of others served as a reminder that his lived on, but only tenuously, within him, the preserve of one-sided conversations and hazy memories.

The imagined depression in the right side of the bed, Mary's side, disappeared as the spell was broken by the ringing of the phone on the bedside table, cutting through his musings like a flash of white light, leaving him reluctantly stumbling back into the real world. He sighed as he reached over to quell the high-pitched noise of the object, yet his curiosity as to who was on the other end of the line spurred him on, taking some of the frustrated edge out of his voice as he answered.

"Hello?"

"Jack, sorry to call you at this time mate, but I can't sleep and I've got an idea."

He rolled his eyes, allowing his head to hit the wooden headboard behind him. Dealing with Gerry's half-drunken phone calls in the small hours was probably amongst the more annoying aspects of the job, but at least he was alright. He tended to interpret late night calls as a sign that someone was in danger. Still, depending on what Gerry's 'idea' entailed, then it could be dangerous.

"What's it about?" he asked cautiously.

"Well, it sounds daft, but think about it first, okay?"

"Think about what?"

"Hold on, hold on, I was just about to say before you bloody interrupted me." The other man snapped, yet with an amused tone in his voice.

"Alright, keep your knickers on,"

"They're always on." He retorted sharply, the alcohol that he had inevitably consumed that night not detracting from his wit. "Anyway, it's about Esther and Brian's fortieth wedding anniversary. I was thinking…well, what's a better way to show how much you love someone than to ask them to marry you?"

"I hate to break this to you, Gerry, but they're already married. That's why it's their anniversary."

"No, I mean they could renew their vows. Look, I'm guessing that Brian hasn't exactly been the best husband for the majority of their marriage, and all women like weddings, right? It'd be like a reminder of how much he loves her and a celebration of how long their marriage has lasted so far."

The older man was, for once, stunned into silence, both as he evaluated the idea and by Gerry's spirit of hopeless romance that was so out of character for the stereotypical Cockney copper. The more he thought about it, the more it could work, but there was two problems that appeared at the forefront of his thoughts.

"That's a really nice idea, and I think you could be on to something, but-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know, it's too big, some flowers would probably do the trick. I just thought, well, it's special, isn't it? Not many marriages last forty years, I don't think mine have lasted forty years combined even." He chuckled ironically.

"No, no, it's not that. I just don't think Esther is the kind of person who would enjoy a huge spectacle, she'd probably tell us off for going to too much trouble. And we'd have to help Brian plan the wedding, that's if he even agrees, have you even asked him yet?"

"No, I was going to wait until I had you and Sandra on board, like I said, it was just an idea. It doesn't have to be huge though, it could just be a small gathering, close family and friends then a bit of a party afterwards."

He considered the idea further. If they just kept it small, like he said, then he couldn't see any reason why it wouldn't be a good anniversary present, and it would be easy enough to organise given enough time, even with Brian's lack of knowledge about his wife's tastes. They'd have to have Sandra's input, of course, but she was good at organising things, and she knew Esther fairly well.

"I think we should ask Sandra in the morning, see what she thinks, then if she agrees, we can go ahead and ask Brian. I can't see him saying no, I doubt he has any better ideas to be honest."

"You really think it could work then?" the younger man replied, somewhat surprised by the enthusiasm of his friend.

"Yeah, I don't see why not…wait, when exactly is their anniversary?"

"Second of April, so that's…three weeks away."

He rested his head in his palms, mentally berating himself for not recognising this obvious flaw in the plan sooner. Unlike Gerry, he lacked the optimism necessary to believe that something involving such a lot of organisation could be prepared in a matter of weeks.

"Gerry…I really don't think we're going to be able to do it in that time, I mean, think of all the things that you have to book and sort out…it's just too much work, especially considering that we've got a new case on Monday as well."

"No, trust me, it isn't. I was watching that programme the other week, what's it called…Don't Tell The Bride, that's it, and there's some right idiots on there who manage to plan a wedding in three weeks, with a limited budget as well, and it always turns out okay for them."

That was another thing- where would all the money come from? Christ, he was getting slow in his old age, mentally as well as physically.

"And where are we going to get enough money to do this exactly?"

"I was thinking, I know it's a bit cheeky, but we could ask everyone we're inviting to the wedding to chip in a bit, you know, and obviously Brian would put in a bit, plus me, you and Sandra, maybe a few hundred each? You don't have to if you don't want to, of course. We could always apply for a loan."

He snorted. He really did marvel at Gerry's unfailing optimism and determination once he was set on something. And he'd be willing to pay, of course he would. He valued Brian and Esther as friends more than they could ever know. He supposed that Gerry would be able to pay as well, now that he'd sorted out his cash flow problems, and he knew for a fact that Sandra wasn't short of cash, considering the salary of a Detective Superintendent these days. It was…plausible. Perhaps ambitious, but not completely out of their reach.

"I'll pay, of course, and I daresay Sandra will too, although obviously I can't speak for everyone else. I'm sure everyone values Brian and Esther as much as we do, but whether they're able and willing to quantify that in cash is a different story. It's a big risk but I'm sure we'll manage, either way."

"Yeah, I hope so. It'd be really good if we pulled this off, Esther deserves something special after putting up with Brian for so long, I honestly don't know how she copes."

"I agree. Listen, I'll do some more thinking about it and then we'll ask Sandra's opinion in the morning, yeah?"

"Yep, bright and early. In fact, would you mind distracting Brian while I do it? I'll call you in for back up if needs be," he confirmed, as though he were planning some sort of strategic operation.

"Sure, I'll try my best. See you tomorrow."

"Night," he replied, ending the call.

He placed the phone back in its receiver and returned to his original position, staring up at the ceiling, listening to the faint hum of traffic in the distance. He reminisced his and Mary's wedding, almost fifty years ago now; despite the cliché, it truly had been the most joyous day of his life. Therefore, although he mind not admit it, he would enjoy taking on the role of wedding planner for two of his closest friends, not only to make them happy, but also because it would enable to cling on to the memory of his own wedding, one that he treasured to this very day, and one that, thankfully, time had not been able to erode.


End file.
